


Twenty-Three

by kulina



Category: Kingdom (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 00:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11588979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kulina/pseuds/kulina
Summary: Nate spends his birthday with Will. It just keeps getting better and better.





	Twenty-Three

**Author's Note:**

> thank you @bruratheprura on tumblr (@moroo1234 on here) for making a text post that inspired this entire story xo

 

I.

Soft lips press against Nate’s. Everything is slow and warm, and Nate can’t help but smile at the sensations. " _Will…"_ he whispers. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

Nate blinks awake to sun streaking in through the blinds on Will’s east window. He draws a deep, slightly embarrassed breath in through his nose and turns over so his face is buried in the pillows. 

“You’re twenty-three now,” Will murmurs, running his hand over the skin between Nate’s shoulder blades. 

Nate makes a sound into the pillowcase, something that sounds a little like, “Hrrmphgg,” and Will chuckles. 

“Come on, sleeping beauty. I made you breakfast.”

Nate sits up but not without making a face at him for the girly nickname. Will is quickly forgiven, though, because Nate spots two glasses of orange juice and three chocolate chip waffles on the nightstand. 

“Thought you might like to eat in bed today,” Will explains, reaching for the plate. He hands it to Nate, who takes it and mutters a quiet (pleased) thank you. "Happy birthday, love." Will wraps a hand around Nate’s head and takes his time pressing his lips into Nate’s hair. Nate shuts his eyes, smelling the chocolate and the citrus and just feeling Will kissing him. 

 

II.

When breakfast is finished and Nate emerges from Will’s room to bring the plate to the kitchen, Will tuts at him and sends him right back into the bedroom. 

“You have work,” Nate protests, “and I have to go to the gym.”

“I took the day off,” Will says simply. He sets the empty glasses of orange juice in the sink and turns the tap on.

Nate tries to keep his face neutral, but Will can see the way the corners of his lips tilt up as he turns away. That’s the reason Will does everything - to see that rare, beautiful smile. 

“Put on something comfortable. We can watch a movie.” 

Nate practically glows. 

 

III. 

Nate attempts to convince himself that he hates being the little spoon, but the lie is too big for him to believe. When Will is wrapped around Nate, his arms keeping Nate warm and safe, Nate is at his happiest. That’s where he finds himself now.

They're watching a movie in Will’s bed, just like he said they would. At one point, something funny happens on the screen, and Nate knows that Will should have laughed at it, but he didn’t. He turns over his shoulder to see if Will’s looking at his phone or something and realizes that Will has fallen asleep. He looks so relaxed, all the stress lines erased.

Nate thinks for a moment and carefully reaches for the remote to switch the TV off. Will doesn’t stir. Nate sits part of the way up and turns over, moving just enough that Will's eyes flutter open. He looks groggily at Nate, who runs a hand over his forehead and whispers, “Go back to sleep.” 

“You okay?” Will asks groggily, his eyes already closed.

“Yeah,” Nate murmurs. He runs his hand over Will’s forehead again, and when he presses his body against Will’s, the older man’s arms tighten around him. 

“Love you,” Will says softly. Nate can tell he’s still more asleep than he is awake.

“I know. You, too.”

Will smiles as he drifts back to sleep. 

Nate nuzzles into Will’s gray t-shirt and notices the lingering smell of Tide. For the last several years, the Kulina boys always used whatever off-brand detergent Jay had found on sale, so the strong, clean scent is special to Nate. It always reminds him of Will. 

He’s not tired enough to sleep, but he relaxes in Will’s arms with his eyes closed anyway. There’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

 

IV.

When Will finally wakes up, Nate has drifted back into a light sleep. Will draws him back to consciousness by dipping a hand into his boxers. 

For the next hour, all the pair knows are warm fingers and harsh breaths and sweat. Tongues. Teeth. Lips. 

When it’s over and Nate is lying on his back, panting up at the ceiling, Will slides down to Nate’s overstimulated member to trace his tongue around the head. 

“No,” Nate gasps. The mixture of pleasure and pain is so intense that he actually twitches as he shoves Will away. 

Will grins, waits two minutes, and pulls Nate back into his mouth.

 

V.

They order pizza for lunch, which is funny, because Nate’s always thought that ordering pizza was a dinner thing. But it’s delicious as fuck, and he’s going into camp soon, so he may as well enjoy it while he’s allowed. 

They get pineapple and chicken and ham and extra cheese, and Nate eats three pieces and then a fourth. Will’s laughing at him because usually Nate is obsessively careful about what he puts into his body. Not today. 

“So fucking good,” Nate groans, his hand resting on his full belly when he’s swallowed the last bite. 

“Yeah?”

He nods. “But now I have to eat a whole fucking vegetable garden to compensate.”

“I’ve got carrots in the fridge,” Will offers.  
  
“No, something green."

“I have some frozen peas, I think…”

“Do you have a bell pepper?” 

“Um… I don’t think so…”

“I went to the grocery store a couple days ago,” Nate says, getting up and heading for the kitchen, “and I got one. I put it in the bottom drawer. Did you eat it?”

“No,” Will tells him, but his mind isn’t on the vegetable anymore. All he can think about is the fact that Nate brought the shopping to Will’s apartment instead of one of his houses. He can’t fight the fuzzy feeling he gets in his stomach as he watches Nate root around the refrigerator like it's his own. 

 

VI.

They fuck again in the afternoon, and then they spend some time lounging lazily on the couch. Will reads Nate’s Instagram comments aloud - that morning, Jay posted some baby picture of him with a birthday message, and all the fans went berserk. The sentiments are sweet, but most of them sound ridiculous in Will’s voice. Nate can never get past Will saying “dude” with his strong accent. 

“ _Happy birthday, Nate,”_ Will reads. _“Always a pleasure to train with you_. That one’s from someone named… Levi Bowling.”

Nate nods. “He’s a stuntman. He was in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and one of the Fast and Furious movies.”  
  
Will raises his eyebrows. “Wow.  _Hey, man, happy birthday. Hope it’s a good one. You’re my favorite fighter_. # _NavyStreet._ ”

He's someone's favorite fighter. Holy shit. He tries not to smile.

“Paige VanZant says,  _Happy birthday, handsome._ ” Will laughs as Nate blushes. He teases, “Oh, you like her, do you?”

“No, of course not,” Nate replies almost defensively, even though he knows Will is just playing. “She’s just really pretty, that’s all.”

“Oh, pretty, now, is she?” Will asks, running his tongue over his lips as his eyebrows lift.

“Shut the fuck up,” Nate mutters. “What’s the next one?”

Will scans for a moment to find his place, and then he snorts. “Listen to this one. _Nate, moon of my life, my sun and stars: you are my soulmate, the greatest love I will ever experience. I bow forever at your altar-”_

_“_ Who the fuck is that from?” Nate asks. “Is it my brother?”

“No. It’s someone who watches Game of Thrones, though, apparently,” Will replies. 

“Who?” Nate demands.

"I'm not telling until I'm done reading it."

"Who wrote it?"

"Nate-"

The younger man dives for the phone, but Will snatches it away and keeps reading. “ _I bow forever at your altar. Well, it’s more of a shrine, actually. It’s in my bathroom.”_

"Who?"

Will’s off the couch then, smiling widely as he dances about the room, always just a few steps ahead of Nate. _“I pray to it every night before I go to sleep and every morning when I wake. Oh, Your Grace, I hope you can forgive me for all my transgressions-”_

“Who?!” Nate half-yells, but it’s become more of a game of getting the phone from Will than finding out who sent him the obnoxious message. 

Will laughs brightly as Nate makes another grab for it and misses.  “ _-and wash me in the water of your endless ocean. And today, the date of your birth, the day humanity was changed forever, I offer myself to you fully-_ ”

“Will! Give it!”

“It’s _my_ phone,” Will reminds, still grinning as he dodges every one of Nate’s lunges. 

“And it’s _my_ birthday!”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Will says, stopping intentionally so Nate can yank the phone from his grip, “your brother asked me to give you twenty three spanks… and one to grow on?”

“Oh, no,” Nate says dangerously. “Don’t you fucking dare…”

“And I think we got at least a few out of the way earlier… let’s call that four.”

“Three,” Nate corrects automatically, and then he looks like he wants to kick himself. 

“Three, then,” Will agrees. He sits down carefully on the couch. “That’s twenty and one to go.” 

Nate looks at him suspiciously. “You’re not going to chase me around the house now?” That's what Jay would do, after all.

_It’s an apartment,_ Will wants to say, but he’s too entertained by the slight but genuine fear in Nate’s eyes. “When you least expect it,” Will tells him. 

“Fuck that,” Nate says. He moves toward Will with his fingers undoing the button of his jeans. “Let’s just get it over with.”

“Oh, now that’s no fucking fun. We’re doing it my way.”

Nate’s disgruntled expression looks more like a pout than anything else, and Will lets out a burst of laughter. 

“It’s _my_ birthday,” he repeats. He sounds like a child.

Will rolls his eyes and insists, “We’re doing it my way.”

Nate buttons his pants with a sigh, and when he plops down on the couch, he leans into Will’s side. “Fucking Ryan,” he groans as his eyes take in the overdramatic message. “I’d bet a hundred dollars Jay was standing there telling him what to type.”

“The part about you christening him in the ocean is my favorite. Or maybe the fucking shrine in his bathroom.” 

Nate rolls his eyes. He tries not to think about the way he’d almost wanted Will to spank him again.

 

VII.

Will never gets tired of tying Nate’s ties. It's a simple thing, and it should be a bit of an annoyance, really, that Nate can't do it on his own. He's twenty-two, after all. Twenty-three now. (He knows that Nate _truly can't_  do it - he'd called Will once in a panic because the WiFi was down at the gym and he couldn't watch his beloved "How to Tie a Tie" video and Ryan and Jay weren't there to help him.)

Will likes it for two reasons. One, because Nate has to ask him for help, even if it's non-verbal. He'll bring Will the tie he's picked and hold it out to him, and Will takes it and starts to work. That leads to the other reason, Will's favorite reason. He likes it because he can feel the way Nate stares at his eyes and his lips and his jaw while Will pretends to be laser-focused on wrapping the fabric around Nate’s collar. It’s one of the only times Nate allows himself to actually look at Will for more than a fraction of a second. 

“Are you hungry after all that pizza?” Will asks, and before Nate can help himself, he softly and slowly echoes, “Ahh,” imitating the way Will began his sentence. 

Will gently punches him in the chest while still holding the tie between his fingers. “Fuck you,” he chuckles.

“Sorry,” Nate mutters, but they both know he’s not. 

“ _Arrr_ you, though?”  He sounds like a pirate. 

Nate nods. 

“Good.” 

Will brushes off Nate’s shoulders, and Nate stretches his arms down the sleeves of his jacket, feeling the way the layers of fabric hug his biceps but not the rest of his arms. One last quick look in the mirror, and they're ready to go.

 

VIII.

The ride to the restaurant is quiet. Nate picked the place because they have the best grilled chicken, and it comes with pasta _and_ a salad. Will is beside himself because for once, Nate didn’t request to travel to another city. Will fiddles with the radio a bit, and then his phone goes off in the driver’s door. He ignores it. 

They go inside the restaurant, a nice Italian place with low lights, and a hostess smiles at Will and Nate, but before she can say a word, there’s a shout from behind them that has Nate whirling around with his fists up. 

“SURPRISE!”

Nate is momentarily blinded by a camera flash, and his mouth drops open when he realizes that his entire family has squashed into the tiny waiting area.

There’s a silence, not just in the lobby but throughout the entire restaurant. Everyone present is staring at the source of the noise.

Jay laughs brilliantly, breaking the silence, and then everyone is moving toward him all at once, chattering excitedly about how surprised he was and how they hope he’s having a very happy birthday. Nate scans the crowd in front of him and sees Jay and Mom, Ryan, Joe Daddy, Lisa, Mac, Juan, and… Dad? Most of them have presents or cards, and Mom actually has balloons, but he's not paying attention to that.

Nate takes a moment to say thank you to the group with his eyes before he wades through them to his father. He hopes he doesn't look as uncomfortable as he feels. “Um, hey,” he says, tucking his hands into his suit pockets.

Alvey’s reply is just as awkward. “Hey.”

Nate doesn’t really know what to say, but then Dad motions to Will, who's trying really hard to look everywhere but at them. “Your, uh… your friend called me. He said he was pulling together a surprise party and that it would mean a lot if I came, so… here I am.” 

Nate nods solemnly. 

“They’ve got, uh - I think they’ve got a table ready for us,” Alvey starts, but before he can finish the thought, Nate is moving forward to embrace him. 

"Thanks," Nate whispers.

Alvey’s eyes go wide, and he doesn’t respond for a second or two, but his arms wrap around Nate. Once he’s hugging him back, he realizes how wonderful it is to have Nate initiate contact with him. 

“Happy birthday, son,” Alvey murmurs. 

Nate nods. He pulls back and looks down at his shiny black shoes as he mumbles, “Love you.”

Alvey’s almost surprised at the way his eyes quickly grow misty. “I love you, too.” And then he glances up to see the that whole family is watching. He waves a hand at them and says, “Ay, quit fucking staring!”

Jay goes in for a hug, then, and Alvey laughs and shoves him off. “Don’t press your luck,” he warns, but he’s grinning. 

“How come he doesn’t cry when _I_ say I love him?” Jay asks the room. 

“You asshole,” Lisa sighs, pulling Jay away by the arm. 

 

IX.

They follow the hostess to the table, and everyone trails behind. Will stands and waits for Nate to bring up the rear, and just as Nate falls into step beside him, Will gives him a casual little smack across the ass. 

Nate jumps a little and looks at Will with wide eyes.

Will winks at him and takes his hand, lacing their fingers together.

For the first time, Nate doesn’t pull away.


End file.
